My interview this month is with the up and coming author Ciara Gold.  Her debut novel CELESTIAL DRAGON is a true gem of a futuristic romance.  It is about a shunned woman finding acceptance for herself and her gifts in the arms of a mighty warrior in a new world.  Be sure to pick up your copy today.

Welcome to Love Romances Ciara and thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to give our readers a chance to learn more about you.  Could you please tell us a little about yourself?   

Just a little?  Where to begin? I'm a Texan, born and raised. Downtime is spent on the back porch, sitting on the tailgate (that would be the one mounted to our back wall) and waiting for my man to finish grilling ribs. We will celebrate twenty-one years together next Valentine's,  so yes, I'm married to my soul-mate. We share two lovely children.  

Would you mind sharing with our readers one tidbit that no one else knows?  Any secret addictions?

Geez, my life is such an open book.  But -- I don't believe I've ever mentioned anywhere that I'm an accomplished seamstress. I once made a wedding dress for my brother's then fiancee. It was quite an undertaking, but in the end I was quite proud. I learned to sew because my brother was a really odd size in high school. He wore a 29' x 38' jean which of course was most difficult to find. His sleeve length was two inches longer than store bought shirts, so I made all of his 'western' shirts when he was in high school. He was always "stylin'" in his one-of-a-kind fashion creations by moi. 

I very much enjoyed reading CELESTIAL DRAGON and I have to ask where the original idea came from? 

I honestly don't know.  The first chapter was written in answer to a group challenge from my critique partners.  We had all decided we would start entering contests to help hone our craft.  I actually wrote the first fifteen pages specifically for the Futuristic, Fantasy and Paranormal RWA chapter's On the Far Side Contest. I was rather shocked and pleased to discover it had finalled. With the encouragement of two other contest wins and the 'not-so-gentle'  prodding of my critique partners, I finished the book.  

When writing the story, all I knew at the time was I didn't want any of the scenes to be trite or cliché, so I remember tossing out the first solutions to a tense moment and making myself think of another. I also wanted to gift the reader with more leeway in visualizing the hero and heroine, thus the different adjectives for colors. 

Ciara, your world building is delightful.  Do you have hoards of notebooks floating about with different worlds within?  Could you give us some insight into what you go thru to design them? 

Thank you, Shaiha. Actually, I don't plot at all. I write a few chapters, then I record tidbits of the world onto a spread sheet. But -- I'm a visual person, so I visualize the worlds in my head. While I don't read science fiction (strange, I know), I do watch a lot of science fiction. And I'm also an artist. I love surrealistic art and the images of Salvidor Dali.  I think this greatly influences the scenes I picture in my head. 

The Deliphits are rather unique.  Are they always women?  Will they be showing additional powers as times goes on or will that be giving away too much? 

Yes, Deliphits to date have always been women, but then they've never cross breeded before, so who knows what might happen in the future. Right now the sequel I'm working on doesn't focus on the Deliphits. But that doesn't mean there won't be a book in the future that will take a stronger look at the Deliphits and the powers they are capable of. In fact, this question has given me food for thought. I already have a ghost of an idea where the hero is sent from Earth in search of the fabled dragons, but I hadn't given the heroine much thought yet. Hmmmm. The wheels are turning.  

How long did it take for CELESTIAL DRAGON to be published?  

From concept to end?  I finished writing the book in 2004. It went through its share of rejections from New York Publishers, but I'd been toying with the idea of e-publishing. Then at one of my local RWA chapter meetings, one of our members brought an article about Japanese  businessmen downloading books on their phones to read on their long train commutes. That was the catalyst that caused me to send it to three different e-publishers, one of which was Champagne. I must also add, that another of my critique partners, Phyllis Campbell, encouraged me to submit to Champagne as she was currently published through them. In less than twenty-four hours they requested the full. A week later, they offered me a contract.  And although they were a relatively new company, I had heard wonderful things about them, so I accepted. I've been very blessed. And because the book has done so well, they plan to make Celestial Dragon available in print form soon, release date TBA. 

I noticed that you have another book in their series due out next year.  Is the title still NOBLE SACRIFICE?  Could you give us any hints about it? 

Yes, after much consideration, I'm keeping the title, A NOBLE SACRIFICE.  This will be Tared's story. In this book, the reader will learn more about how the zeel pits caused him to become mentally unstable.  In an effort to reverse the damage done by the zeel pits, Zan Dane will have Tared tossed in the pits again. This time, though, Tared will discover a hidden society buried deep beneath the planet's surface and a woman that matches his strength of character.  This book deals with the struggles both societies face in forming an alliance against the rebels who are leftover victims of the zeel pits. And of course, the hero and heroine must overcome their own individual prejudices to find love.  

How long does it actually take you to sit down and write a novel?  

It depends on the novel. Celestial Dragon took about 9 months to complete whereas I wrote a fantasy novel (one I think will be contracted soon with Champagne) in three months.  Most novels take me from six to ten months to complete, mainly because I do have a day job.  

Ciara is writing your only profession or are you still working the day job to support the dream? 

Funny you should ask. I teach high school art, so that gives me the summer off to write. Unfortunately, this summer, I'm finding it harder to balance writing with promotion, but I'm still getting a lot done. During the year, I come home, answer e-mail for an hour, cook supper, spend time with my family, then around nine o'clock, I start writing. I do my best writing around 1:00 AM when I'm so tired I can't think straight.  

CELESTIAL DRAGON is definitely a futuristic.  Do you have other genres that you would like to conquer? 

So far, I've written four historical westerns, three of which are contracted through Champagne. Sarah's Brass Token will make its debut in December which begins a series of related stories, stand alone, but related none the less. I've written two time travels, both connected, but they need a lot of polishing before I try to find a publisher for them and one is only half completed.  I have yet to write a witch story, but I have a few ideas brewing in my mind.  

Most authors are avid readers.  If I was to look through your bookcase what names would I find?  Did you grow up reading the science fiction greats?  

Actually, I hated reading when I was in grade school. (Okay - no one throw any vegetables unless they're fresh) I did read a few things, but for the most part, they were books I had to read for English. When I was young, reading gave me tremendous headaches. They discovered I had astigmatism, but by the time I got glasses, I associated reading with negative consequences. In high school, I did read the Hobit without prompting and C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and enjoyed both. About eleventh grade, I discovered S. E. Hinton and devoured the few books she had published. But, I didn't become an "avid" reader until my then, mother-in-law, loaned me her copy of Shanna by Kathleen Woodiwiss. I was twenty at the time. By then, I was ready to give up my prejudices against reading and I became addicted to the romances. Susan Carroll's Bride Finder opened up a whole new realm of possibilities for me as a reader and a writer.   

If you were given the opportunity to write an anthology with any four authors, alive or dead, who would you pick and why?  

What a great question? And geez, what a hard question. I think, it would depend on the genre. I would love to write a historical western anthology with Cheryl St. John, Joan Johnston and Maggie Osborn. I can only hope to be as talented as they are.  But if I was going to write in the the paranormal genre, I would have to pick Susan Carroll and Maggie Shayne.  The creativity of both those authors astounds me. Right now, though, a few of the Champagne authors are working on proposals for a historical western anthology and if we all accomplish our goal, I will be writing alongside some extremely talented authors; Phyllis Campbell, Rebecca Goings, Mary Martinez, Kim Leady , Lee Ann Ward, Angela Abate, and Jane Toombs.  The project is still in its infant stages, but I think it will be a huge success when it's completed. 

Ciara, do you have a ritual for when you complete a book? 

I used to go out with one of my critique partners and we'd each order a Mojito to celebrate, but she moved, so now I just sit on the back porch with my husband and collapse for a while. I tend to do more celebrating once the book is contracted. Then it's a regular party on the patio with all the neighbors. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by lots of great neighbors. 

I just have to ask this.  What does your office look like?   

Messy. Disorganized. Like a cyclone hit and no one thought to tell me, but hey, I do know where everything is.  My computer is in our bedroom, so it's fairly quiet.  

I also have to ask how you write.  Do you write everything out in longhand and then transcribe it onto a computer or is Word your savior?  Do you have certain music and scents floating thru the air? 

When I'm away from the computer, I carry around the antique laptop. Yep, I love sprial notebooks. I have been known to jot down notes for scenes while I'm in strange places, but most of my writing is done while I'm seated at my computer. Sometimes, I require quiet to write, but it seems I'm more productive if I listen to music. I play folk music like Peter, Paul and Mary, the Kingston Trio, Cat Stevens or Simon and Garfunkel when I'm working on the westerns. For the futuristics, I listened to a lot of Blackmore's Night, Evenescence, Godsmack, Dave Mathews and Matchbox 20. Writing the fantasy required The Irish Rovers, The Chieftans and the Celtic Women. Music kind of sets the mood I think.  

Does your family support you?  And would you be proud or horrified if your parents read your work? 

My family is very supportive. I think my mom is one of my biggest fans. She made sure all of her friends knew what I was up to including her entire Sunday school class. And my husband is very supportive and understanding of my need to write. My kids, on the other hand, are jealous of the time I spend on the computer. So, I have to remind myself often that they come first and to make time for them. Luckily they are teens now, so they aren't under foot. I admire any author who can find time to write with younger children at home.  

What prompted you to start writing Ciara? 

Artists must have an outlet for their creativity or they whither inside. While I teach art, I rarely have the time during class to create my own art. At home, I didn't really have the space for doing the type of art I love doing. Since falling in love with romances, I've always dabbled at writing, but I didn't become serious about it until one of my critique partners and dear friend, Jolie Mathis, discovered that I had all these beginning chapters tucked away in my closet. She convinced me to nourish my talents and in doing so, I discovered the creative outlet I'd been looking for. I could let my imagination roam wild on the pages without worrying about spilt paint or wet canvases. I could paint images with words and I loved it. 

Any suggestions that you would like to give to aspiring authors? 

Never lose sight of your dreams. And never slam a door behind you. The Publishing business is a difficult business to break into. I've learned through many a rejection, that often it isn't about the book itself. I have been told by many that they enjoyed the story or the writing, but the work wasn't right for them. This means that they don't think they can market it at this time, but that doesn't mean the same work won't be marketable three years from now. The market is ever changing. I think an aspiring author needs to be flexible and patient. And above all else, keep on learning. Everyday I write, I learn something new about the craft of writing. And everyday I write, I'd like to think I get better.  

Can you think of anything that I have forgotten that you would like to share with our readers? 

Well now here's the hardest question yet and you'd think as chatty as I can be, this would be an easy one. First of all, let  me thank Loves Romances for this opportunity to talk about myself and my work. I'm a pisces, so I tend to be reserved around strangers. Interviews like this help pave the way for making new friends. Readers are always welcome to contact me and ask me questions. Contact information and other places to find me lurking about are listed on my website.  www.ciaragold.com 

Thank you so much for taking the time to spend with Love Romances Ciara. 

And thank you for taking the time to ask insightful questions.